Career Communication

Chapter Eight

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 Learning Objectives
This lesson will help you
• Formulate short-term and long-term career
aspirations
• Understand principles for professional networking
• Develop a résumé, a cover letter, and a reference list
• Describe strategies for developing an online
professional persona

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 What Do You Want to Be?

By carefully and intentionally thinking about

your interests and goals, you are likely to make
choices that lead to rewarding career
opportunities

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 Goal-Setting and Intentionality in Career Development

It is useful to create self-inventory that includes:

• Your career goals
• Your strongest professional abilities
• Your strongest professional attributes
• Areas where you need to improve

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 An Online Career Inventory

©McGraw-Hill Education Source: State of Minnesota, https://www.careeronestop.org.

 Professional Networking

Networking is a proactive approach to building

professional relationships to achieve shared
company, career, and professional development
goals

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 Conduct Informal Interviews
Networking often begins with an informal interview
that focuses on
• Daily activities in a position
• What is most enjoyed about the position
• What qualifications are required
• What the typical career path is
• How one grows and learns in the position
• What advice is helpful

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 Networking Strategies
Developing a network also benefits from
• Attending job fairs and other networking events
• Attending campus speeches and other professional
development events
• Joining clubs and other professional interest groups
• Volunteering at a local nonprofit

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 Preparing a Résumé and Cover Letter
Your cover letter and résumé need to make a
positive first impression
A résumé should tell a story of the value you can
provide to an employer

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 Components of a Résumé
Most résumés contain these major sections:
• Name block
• Summary statement
• Education
• Experience
• Additional information

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 Tips for an Impressive Résumé 1

Pay attention to tone, style, and design

• Emphasize accomplishments with action verbs
• Quantify your accomplishments whenever possible
• Position your most important contributions first
• Remove irrelevant details

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 Tips for an Impressive Résumé 2

Pay attention to tone, style, and design (continued)

• Avoid clichés
• Be exact and avoid errors
• Format to distinguish pieces of information
• Select a simple yet visually appealing layout

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 Two Types of Résumé
Your résumé can be in one of two formats
• Chronological résumé
• Functional résumé

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 Electronic Résumé Screening
Prepare your résumé for electronic screening
• Maintain simple formatting
• Use key words strategically
• Avoid excessive use of acronyms

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 Develop a Reference List
To develop an effective reference list,
• Build relationships with potential references
• Contact each reference ahead of time
• Thank your references
• Create a consistently formatted, well-detailed
reference list

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 What Is a Cover Letter?
Your cover letter—often sent in email form—describes
your interest in and qualifications for a position
Not all job applications require a cover letter
• But a well-written letter often gives you an advantage
even when it is not formally required

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 Construct a Cover Letter 1

To develop an effective cover letter:

• Remember that it makes a first impression
• Clearly identify the position you are seeking
• Be focused and concise
• Use a tone that is confident but not arrogant

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 Construct a Cover Letter 2

To develop an effective cover letter: (continued)

• Tailor it to the job posting and the employer’s needs
• Adapt your approach for unsolicited letters
• Solicited cover letter
• Unsolicited cover letter

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 Developing Your Professional Online Persona 1

When creating a profile on LinkedIn or a similar

platform:
• Use a professional photo
• Create a personalized URL
• Complete the summary space
• Use multimedia
• Choose sections wisely

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 Developing Your Professional Online Persona 2

When creating a profile on LinkedIn or a similar

platform: (continued)
• Manage your recommendations and endorsements
strategically
• Build a network of important connections
• Show your personality and be positive
• Maintain a “giver” mentality
• Stay active

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 Chapter Takeaways

This chapter has focused attention on

• Setting goals and creating intentionality
• Nurturing a professional network
• Preparing a résumé and cover letter
• Developing your online professional persona